Free Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) by Elle Christensen

her into the field.
    “Aden, what are we doing here, anyway?”
    “We’re headed to Rien. It is always easier to cross in a deserted area with a lot of sun exposure. Especially since it’s your first time, I don’t know how smooth the transition will be for you.” I jerked my thumb back behind us, indicating the car, “I’ve got a friend who will pick up the rental and take it back before heading home.” Remembering why Ean is here has me chuckling. What a pussy. He’s kind of hiding out in the human realm for a while.” When Shaylee looks confused, I can’t help but chuckle again. “I’ll explain another time.”
    As we walk through the field, I think of home (Don’t even think about bringing up The Wizard of Oz) and feel warmth begin to course through my veins. But an idea pops into my head and I stop, tugging Shaylee’s hand to bring her to a halt as well.
    “This morning, with the water. What were you feeling?”
    She rolls her eyes, “That you needed—“
    “No,” I cut her off mid-sentence. Such a smartass. “What did you feel when the water began to fall.” Her face becomes a little pensive as she considers my question.
    “I felt a heat rush through me, almost like the humid air of summer.”
    My idea takes root and I decide to flow with it. “I want you to focus on how that felt as we transition into Rien, ok?”
    Shaylee glances around. “Is there a portal here or something? Do I need to grab a boot?”
    Her tone is laced with sarcasm and I echo it in my response. “Yeah, Shaylee. I’m taking you to Hogwarts. Did you bring your broom?”
    Her eyes widen with feigned innocence. “Hey, Faeries are real, maybe Harry Potter is too.” She looks at me in earnest, and if I didn’t see the laughter in her eyes, I might have believed her naiveté.
    I shake my head at her, but give her a wink. “Focus, baby. Remember what that sensation felt like, and think about crossing that barrier.”
    “Ok.” She says hesitantly. I’m still holding her hand and I give it a light squeeze before beginning to walk again. When I see her body becoming more luminous, I let go of her hand and watch her steadily. With my next blink, she is no longer there. Damn. She shouldn’t have been able to do that on her own.
    Feeling the warmth flow, I focus on the power of crossing realms and then I am there, standing next to her. For the moment, I quietly observe her to see how she is handling the transition. She’s looking around her with wide eyes full of interest, but there is no hint of fear in her expression. I’m not sure what I was expecting; for her to be overwhelmed and confused, I guess. I should have known better. Shaylee has always had inner strength. She was never one to fly off the handle and make assumptions. When she hauled off and hit me, I was utterly shocked that she’d let go of her tightly reigned emotions. Just imagining what it would be like to break down those barriers and see her completely let go, in bed, has my dick twitching.
    I break out of my stupor, before I get any more of a hard on, and sigh in relief when I see that she hasn’t noticed where my thoughts were heading.
    “Baby, we need to get going.”
    She turns and looks at me in surprise, and I realize she has only just noticed that I’m there. “You left me.” Shit.

ONE SECOND, I WAS walking though the field—I blinked—and the next, I am here. I stumble backwards in shock and almost fall on my ass. When Aden doesn’t reach out to help steady me, I turn to snap at him for being rude and realize that he’s not even here. What the hell? I’m alone. Again. I feel the fingers of fear begin to grip me. Had he really left me to do this on my own? Anger starts flushing out the fear, when I’m suddenly distracted by my surroundings. I’m standing in a parking lot, of all places. There are a few cars scattered throughout the stalls, and across from me is a tall, white, stone building, sitting, at least, eight stories high. On